Counties With the Highest Unemployment in New Mexico

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Counties with the highest unemployment in New Mexico

While today's unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.

Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in New Mexico using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in March 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

Experts have mixed views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession.

The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.

But as of April 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.9%—up slightly from the previous month. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2% in North Dakota to 5.3% in California.

Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in New Mexico.

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#33. Los Alamos County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 1.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,059 people (160 unemployed)

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#32. Eddy County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 32,481 people (696 unemployed)

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#31. Curry County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,314 people (501 unemployed)

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#30. De Baca County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 708 people (17 unemployed)

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#29. Union County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 1,506 people (37 unemployed)

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#28. Lincoln County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,720 people (221 unemployed)

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#27. Roosevelt County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,341 people (221 unemployed)

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#26. Grant County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,141 people (329 unemployed)

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#25. Santa Fe County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 71,858 people (1,930 unemployed)

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#24. Colfax County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 5,143 people (143 unemployed)

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#23. Lea County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 30,309 people (844 unemployed)

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#22. Bernalillo County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 344,133 people (9,710 unemployed)

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#21. Rio Arriba County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,835 people (489 unemployed)

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#20. Harding County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 267 people (8 unemployed)

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#19. Sandoval County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 69,453 people (2,101 unemployed)

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#18. Chaves County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,117 people (840 unemployed)

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#17. Otero County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,586 people (798 unemployed)

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#16. Guadalupe County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,597 people (53 unemployed)

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#15. Hidalgo County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,720 people (56 unemployed)

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#14. Valencia County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 31,548 people (1,057 unemployed)

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#13. Catron County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,162 people (41 unemployed)

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#12. Quay County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,842 people (100 unemployed)

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#11. Taos County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,848 people (517 unemployed)

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#10. Socorro County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,055 people (219 unemployed)

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#9. San Miguel County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,568 people (384 unemployed)

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#8. San Juan County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 49,985 people (1,832 unemployed)

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#7. Mora County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,902 people (79 unemployed)

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#6. Dona Ana County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 102,558 people (4,343 unemployed)

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#5. Torrance County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,416 people (233 unemployed)

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#4. McKinley County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 22,560 people (997 unemployed)

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#3. Cibola County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,248 people (368 unemployed)

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#2. Sierra County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,750 people (237 unemployed)

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#1. Luna County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 12.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,133 people (1,294 unemployed)

This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.